B-020: Constitutional Protection Act

[Alfonso Velez]

Madam Speaker,

We've already seen great contempt for the Constitution leveled by certain members on the National-Liberal alliance benches. It has become clear that we must do more to protect the fundamental liberties that are essential to a free society. Therefore, the Government is introducing this bill to ensure that future Governments may only amend the Constitution by a 2/3rds majority rather than a simple majority. This protection is vital. Otherwise, we may have a situation where clauses may be added and removed from the Constitution based on changing majorities.

The Constitution is a critical document for our Republic. I strongly believe that creating a 2/3rds requirement for amending it is a vital part in ensuring that all changes to the constitution are considered soberly and deliberately, and are only achieved through cross-party support in this House. If we fail to adopt this threshold, I worry that this Republic will be governed by a Constitution that changes on the whims of changing Governments rather than being the bulwark of our laws. Therefore, I strongly urge this Parliament to adopt this critical amendment to protect our Constitution.